More Alaska Updates

We have two days left on this Alaskan adventure until we return to the sauna in Columbia. I've been enjoying wearing my under armor and fleece and am not looking forward to returning to the Missouri humidity.

However, I am for sure looking forward to not living out of a suitcase. I look forward to being home and cooking my own meals. I look forward to sleeping in my own bed. Going home is bitter sweet. 

If you're interested, here's a bit of what we have been up to in Alaska.

Naps:

We sleep well here. I'm not sure if it's because of the 3 hour time difference or just being busy. Either way, sleep has been fabulous. 

 Coon hats:

Not one, but two have been running around with us. Will started the trend and then busted out his second, more authentic hat for Austin to wear. They've gotten lots of strange looks and laughs from the locals.

A few comments made yesterday from strangers: 

"You better not wear that around my house or you'll get shot."

"You win the award for the best hat."

(Toll man laughs at our approach) "I'm sorry, I just wasn't expecting to see that."

"If you wear that around long enough, an eagle will swoop down and snatch it off your head."

"Nice hat, did you skin that yourself?"

Fishing:

Yesterday's fishing was the most fun we've had so far. The reds (salmon) were biting and we were catching them like crazy. We stayed out fishing until 9:30pm. Tom, the owner of the house we are staying in, came out with us to help.

 Dad even managed to bring one onto shore without a net (a very difficult task) We asked how he did it. His response:

"Well, I got it between me and the shore. Then I introduced it to Mr. Foot. Then Mr. Knee. Then Mr. Rock." (To knock it out). He's so hardcore.

 My dad makes it seem so easy. However, Austin, Will and I weren't having such a smooth experience bringing in the fish. We had about 3 broken lines, 5 get off the hook, and one escaped through a small hole in the net. We were like the Three Stooges trying to work together to net these dang fish. 

 Despite our clumsiness, we were able to bring in quite a few keepers. 

 I have to brag a little...

 We brought back the fishies, cleaned them out and cut them up. This was a first for Austin. I think he liked getting his hands dirty.

 "Starting contest: you, me, go......you win, you always do."

More stories to come!

Greetings From Alaska!

 In case you didn't know, I'm currently in Alaska. It's been a great trip so far. The trip here was really long- especially since it was only half a day after I returned form Colorado.
Despite my exhaustion, we made it smoothly.

A common question I get from people is, where in Alaska are you staying? It's a funny question because 90% of people only know two cities in Alaska: Anchorage and Jeuno.

Well, I'm in neither of these places. We are in a small town called, Soldotna. Here is where it is in this huge state.

 We are on the Kenai Peninsula and staying in a house right on the river.

 It's been super relaxing. Almost to the point where I am feeling antsy for a purpose other than fishing or eating. I could go for a jog but I run the risk of getting mauled by a moose or possibly a bear. So the combination of not working out and sitting around all day (with no Internet, I might add) leaves me a bit antsy.

I have little to complain about though. My dad has done a fabulous job planning the trip. Alaska is HUGE. Everything about it is HUGE. Yesterday during a plane ride over a glacier, I told Austin that we were seeing God's glory manifested in nature. It's so beautiful here. I can't take it all in. 

To give you some perspective on how big this state is, look at it compared to the US. Crazy.

Now for some pics.

On our way in, we saw this moose on the side of the road. It was a nice welcoming. Little known fact: Moose kill more humans than bears do in Alaska. Stay away from these "sad-looking-horses."

We got to our house, unpacked, picked up a fishing pole, and headed to the river. Here is Austin is getting his first fishing lesson from Papa Gary. He picked it up pretty fast.

The next day, we had a fly-in salmon fishing trip.
All geared up....

  We got to take one of those water planes to a place that no roads can get to. We got a little freaked out when we saw that we were landing on a river. I kept telling myself that these pilots do this every day. 

After the plane landed, we hopped on boat and took off for some salmon fishing destinations. 

 Those ugly waders come in handy. Waterproof and warm.

Almost everywhere we went on this trip we saw bear prints. This one in particular was a HUGE bear. This is Austin's size 11 boot next to the bear print. I would not want to encounter this guy.

Here's the crew. From left to right: Janny, Will, Gary, Austin, Polly. Everyone caught at least one salmon. My mom and dad caught 3 each. Well, done parents!

Throughout our entire trip, Will has been wearing this coonskin hat the entire time. I'll be honest, I'm slightly embarrassed to be with him in public places. He gets lots of strange looks wherever we go. He doesn't seem to mind.

 The next day, we dragged ourselves out of bed at 3:30am to go halibut fishing. We joined captain Bob and headed 38 miles out into the ocean.

 I made the first catch of the day. But it wasn't a halibut.

It was a shark!

 It was really small and we ended up catching a lot of those throughout the day. Captain Bob wasn't happy about that.

Here's me in my HUGE blue rain suit. It's actually not mine but I was thankful for it that day.

By the end of the day, we had all caught our limit: 2 halibut each. Wahoo! It totaled 113 pounds total. That's a lot of halibut to eat.

We got home exhausted and all went to bed around 9:00pm. Today is a rainy day so we are just taking it easy.

Another point worth mentioning is that it never gets dark here! It is light outside ALL the time. Between midnight and 3am it looks like dusk, but other than that it always looks like noon. It is a bit hard to get used to. 

Anyway, that's all I got for now. More Alaskan updates to come...!

Back from Colorado

Back to civilization. For the past 5 days, I've been in the mountains of Colorado with a group of senior high students. We had an absolute blast! I'm sleep deprived and exhausted but refreshed at the same time. Colorado makes me feel alive in a way that no other place does.  Here are a few pics from the trip.

We had a 16 hour bus ride on the way out there. It actually wasn't too bad since we did it over night. However, I am convinced that there is absolutely NO way to be comfortable sleeping on a charter bus.

 Here's Kelsie and I. This was on a hike we took on the first day.

 Here are some other gals who took the hike with us. Isn't the view incredible!?

 We came across a little waterfall. Of course we had to stop for some pictures.

 Let me tell you, we ate well. I always go to Colorado with the secret hopes of coming back super fit and in shape. However, I think my calorie intake easily kept up with the calories burned from all the hiking. Dang.

 I just thought this was pretty.

 This hike was to Horn Lakes. Round trip, it was 12 miles. The first 6 were uphill. I'll be honest, it was hard. When you're not used to the altitude, hiking uphill for four hours is not pleasant.

 We made it to the top. It was beautiful. Emily (below) found this skeleton towards the top. For some reason she felt the need to carry it down the mountain. SIX miles down the mountain. There are just some things I will never understand about high school students.

 I just thought this was a cool picture. I am totally in my element at this moment.

Lastly, we discovered a thing called the "Human Rubber Band." I have a video below because it's pretty hard to explain. Pretty much, if you are in the rubber band, you are flung to the opposite side. It's so fun!

My Love Affair with Colorado

I love Colorado.

I always have. I don't know what it is about this place that continually draws me back. I've probably been over twenty times by now. I've only flown once. It's one of the most boring 12 hour drives you can take. No turns. No scenery. Just Kansas.

BUT at the end of the drive, you see this...

When I graduated, I was bound and determined to find a job in Colorado. However, God had different plans for me to stay in Columbia.

Despite ending up in Missouri, I've paid my annual visit to the Rockies. Mainly to ski.

 Every year I go, I'm tempted to just buy my own skis. However, I'm always not quite sure when I'll be back, so I don't. I should just assume I will be and take the financial hit for a pair. Those suckers are expensive though!

  Until then, I'll just rent and ski my heart out. 

 I love the snow capped trees, and white landscape as you drive. I practically drool as we drive through the mountains.

 The great thing about Colorado is that it is an entirely different experience in the summer. The past 3 summers, we have taken high school groups there to hike, camp, and whitewater raft. 

Here is a picture of our crew from last summer.

 The first day we went out, we hiked most of the day, found a campsite and discovered that we were one tent short. We ended up having 9 girls in a 4 person tent.  

At first, we thought this would be kind of fun. 

However, we quickly learned that the only way to fit everyone in was to spoon each other. This meant we all had to sleep on our side, being snuggled by the person behind you and the person in front.

We didn't get much sleep so the next day of hiking was a bit rough.

For three days, we lived out of our backpacks and hiked more than we ever thought we could.

 Our group went up and down the Continental Divide in a matter of 24 hours. I've never been physically challenged like that before.

The beauty of Colorado can't be captured by camera.

Can you see why I want to live there?

 I mean, I look SO Colorado, right?

 Good thing. Because I'm headed there tomorrow!! I can't wait.

 I have a bag packed full of things. And of course, I have my few essentials which I have featured below.

 Hope you enjoyed my random venting and thoughts on my favorite vacation state. I for sure won't miss the current Missouri weather either. And guess what comes after the Colorado trip...? ALASKA!

Stay tuned my blogging friends. Lots of travel stories in the future.